County of El Paso raising concerns over proposed ICE detention center in Socorro

SOCORRO, Texas (KVIA) -- El Paso County, through the County Attorney's Office, did a presentation during Monday's Commissioners Court on the proposed new ICE detention center planned to be opened in Socorro, Texas.

County Attorney Christina Sanchez presented a legal overview, asking her office to present the process, status, and framework associated with detention centers within the county amid concerns recently raised by local communities.

According to the presentation, the County was made aware of the potential ICE detention facility on January 20 due to local media reports.

In response to community concerns, El Paso County says it has taken several actions, including:

• Sending letters to the region’s congressional delegation requesting transparency and oversight regarding detention facilities.
• Sending letters to the state delegation requesting opposition to this detention facility.
• Requesting that federal officials ensure all environmental review requirements are followed before any project proceeds.
• Submitting Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests to DHS, ICE, and CBP seeking records related to the planning, construction, or operation of any proposed detention facility in El Paso County.

ABC-7 reached out to the El Paso County Attorney's Office for comment.

El Paso County Attorney Christina Sanchez says County Commissioners directed her office to review any standards to process information they could come across at the proposed ICE detention center in Socorro.

"This is a matter of public concern that a lot of the information regarding the lead-up to this site has not been forthcoming from the federal government and this really was in response to the 200-plus members of the public who showed up to Commissioners Court to express their concern and for us as a governmental entity and as public servants, to provide any information that we can to the public on the issue," said County Attorney Sanchez.

"There are implications for this: who bears the costs of ensuring that the infrastructure is in place? who bears the cost of ensuring that the roads are up to par to transport individuals back and forth? who incurs the costs for medical services that may need to be adhered to by individuals who are in the facility? Presumably, they would go to our public hospital for care," County Attorney Sanchez added. "So it's all a trickle-down effect in terms of the cost that would potentially be imposed on this community, of course, and not to mention the other concerns that El Paso County commissioners have in terms of the public health, safety and welfare of this community."

At the end of the Commissioners Court meeting on Monday, County Commissioner for District 3, Iliana Holguin, who represents that portion of Far East El Paso County, said that due to the lack of communication from the federal government, they are incumbent to try to gather as much information and provide it to El Paso residents, especially those who submitted their public comment a couple of weeks ago.

"One of the many, many, many disturbing things about this entire situation has been the complete lack of information and transparency that we've received from the federal government," said Commissioner Holguin. "Just to reassure the residents of El Paso County that our work on this issue is not done and I think we all certainly understand how important this issue is to our residents."

According to Commissioner Holguin, El Paso Water is set to have its board meeting on March 11; she encourages all residents and community members who are concerned about the proposed ICE detention center in Socorro and the use of the County's water resources by this facility to speak up in front of El Paso Water officials as well.

"County officials have also met with stakeholders, including the City of Socorro, Lower Valley Water District, Emergency Services District #2, members of the state and federal legislative delegation, and residents who have voiced concerns about the proposed facility," El Paso County said in a statement.

While immigration detention facilities are operated by federal agencies, El Paso County stated it will continue monitoring developments, advocating for transparency, oversight, and community engagement as more information becomes available.

ABC-7 reached out to ICE and DHS again today for comment; we are still awaiting a response.

Yesterday, an ICE spokesperson told ABC-7 the following:

"There is nothing new on Socorro at this time. Yes, ICE has purchased property in Socorro, Texas. However, these will not be warehouses — they will be very well-structured detention facilities meeting our very robust national detention standards. As a federal law enforcement agency, ICE uses detention space across the country to meet its operational needs. ICE continues to seek new detention space across the United States to meet the needs of our mission and when a contract is finalized and a new facility is operational, that information will be available on ICE.gov."

According to ICE, the Socorro, Texas, facility and its construction are expected to bring 4,907 jobs to the area and would contribute $851.1 million in GDP. It’s also projected to bring in about $153.4 million in tax revenue.